Photoblog - Day 284 Jan 18, 2011

Innovator extraordinaire:

This is the book I'm reading right now - a follow up from another, somewhat similar book by the same author. Whereas the first one was more on presentation secrets - this one is more on... well, innovation (as the title points out).

I'm just a few chapters in - but sicne I found the first book of Gallo easy reading, I decided to get this as well before Christmas - though it is only now that I'm able to read it.

It may also prove coincidental that the tech news in CNN's website has covered an announcement by Steve Jobs himself, that he shall be taking a medical leave. Like it or not, Steve isn't getting any younger (and apparently, has been having some health issues as well).

Not wanting to sound morbid here, but I hope this book does not talk about someone in a posthumous manner any time soon. And I'm sure that I am joined by many Apple fans in wishing Steve a quick and full recovery - so he can continue bedazzling his audiences and supporters with new, revolutionary ideas and products. After all, the man has led a very extraordinary life... but I don't think his swan song should be composed yet.

Meanwhile, I would like to think that I am learning enough with (and from) this book as well as it's predecessor - to be a better leader. Carmine Gallo's Innovative Secrets... and his Presentation Secrets (of Steve Jobs) are good reading... and I plan to make a more formal review of the first book to be posted in my other blog.

Photoblog - Day 283 Jan 17, 2011

Frenimies:

What did I say about Buffy reverting to her old ways of picking on the cats, now that Bruce isn't around to pester her? Apparently, it just took a day for her to realize what she had been missing and revert back to nature.

No... this isn't all out war - just Buffy playing with Neko, after all.... they are friends. Though I wouldn't be surprised should I 'hear' Neko's thoughts saying 'with friends like these, who needs enemies?!'

The frustrating part about an auto-focus camera is that when you're ready to shoot, it decides to focus elsewhere. Bummer...! This would have been a great shot had that not happened. As you can see, the focus beyond Buffy and Neko is perfect - but the focus to the two is slightly off. That was because I had focused to the two earlier, and was just waiting for Buffy to make her move, as I was sure she would - and when she sprung on Neko, as you can see by how the cat is defending herself... wouldn't you know it? The camera refocuses elsewhere. This is not the first time the camera has done that, either.

I need to find a way to lock my focus... I just might be missing something. If anyone has suggestions, I'll be all eyes and ears. Meanwhile, I just may 'focus' on manual mode when it comes to such shots.

Photoblog - Day 282 Jan 16, 2011

Feast of the Sto. Niño:

First of all, yes... this is a picture of the holy family and not the Sto. Niño (or Christ child), but since I've no picture of a Sto. Niño I could get a hold of for today's shot, I had to just replace one with the other - besides, this too shows a child (though more babe than child at this point - but who's counting? and yes... we don't have a Sto. Niño at home).

The image I took a picture of is actually two-toned... silver and gold, but for this picture, I wanted to experiment with just a monotone - so it looks all silver, due to it's shiny nature... but the picture is supposed to be just black and white.

I also experimented with angles - the first one was from below... and it was an okay picture, but when I tried this other angle. with it's more leveled between the child and parents, I seemed to have a more loving look on the parents and a semi-smiling look form the child Jesus. It may be just my imagination... or play with lighting; either -or, I decided this to be the better angle to use.

The item in the picture happens to be a gift from my mother-in-law to me this past Christmas - guess she saw how I admired their statue... and she decided to gift me with one. I appreciate it, and have decided to put it in a prominent place within the living area.

So here's to the feast of the Santo Niño, which we celebrate every 3rd Sunday of January... and here's to the innocence of children - their easily trusting; quick to forgiving; playful and unpretentious nature. Lord knows we must never lose those traits if we are to thrive as a global race.

Photoblog - Day 281 Jan 15, 2011

Personal Space...

That is what seems to be in Buffy's mind, as Bruce continuously smothers her with his face - and despite how appearances may seem, these two are indeed quite playful with each other - often chasing each other from sofa to dining area, and back... countless times.,, at least, until one just plops down from exhaustion.

So yeah. Buffy and Bruce are best of friends (at least, when Buffy isn't too moody) and as of this day's picture taking, Bruce will be returning to Cavite with Ben, so it's not sure when he'll be back - and if Buffy will remember him when he does.

But I'm sure that the creatures that will miss Bruce the most, are those that ironically fear him - or don't bother mingling with him - these creatures are namely Neko and Nek Nek; the two black cats. Why so? Because when Bruce was not around, Buffy would incessantly play with (and at times, it does look like bullying) the two cats.

When Bruce arrived, these two cats kept themselves hidden (not knowing Bruce) and were likewise spared of any Buffy rough stuff - thanks in no small part, to Bruce keeping her occupied. Now that Bruce is gone, we'll have some semblance of normalcy - and cats being chased by Buffy once again.

Photoblog - Day 280 Jan 14, 2011

High Street Artwork:

It's one of the artistic sculpture attractions that you'll find in the middle of Bonifacio High Street - I don't know if it has any official name, as I just call it the shower boulder (though I think no one is allowed to take a shower under it - but wouldn't that be a picture worth taking? He he).

I used a high ISO here - so I need not hold the camera steady for a long time, and wanted the water to look visible as a continuous line (I actually wanted to capture the droplets looking like droplets, but I think I'll need larger ISO for that... I think) - besides, since it's got it's own lighting, the sculpture did not need to take in a lot of night or background / ambient light to better expose the subject (said rock shower sculpture).

Once again, I believe I would have gotten a better shot - and one with a longer exposure, had I brought a tripod - even my gorilla tripod would do. One thing I did notice is that this piece is cordoned by a makeshift rope fence... not impossible to go over, mind you - but visible enough to ask everyone not to step on the grass and approach the sculpture.

Hey, maybe someone did try to take a shower here one time - hence the cordon. I won't think that an impossible prank. Not that I'd do it... after all, I do want to take the shot... not be the shot.

Photoblog - Day 279 Jan 13, 2011

(Side) Mirror Image:

When I took this picture, I just wanted to experiment - on a whim, with my ISO settings - see how putting it at 100 and 1600 would make a difference - any difference.

Far as I can tell the one with the 1600 took less time to click and process as opposed to the ISO 100 version. With respect to clarity, I'd have to say that the 1600 looked clearer - but that may also be because of less shakes on my end (I was not using a tripod here - and I should have), other than that, the 100 looked a bit brighter... but again, possibly due to shakes, it did not come across as sharper.

Anyway... if you closely at the mirror's reflection at the glass, you'll see a slightly visible formation of my face and the camera - as reflected by the light. The color was really like that - owing to the tungsten lighting, I could have adjusted it with Photoshop, but decided against it. After all, the color is what adds to the image's coolness... and yes, the car is our Toyota, so I was not getting anyone worried by being nosy with their car.

Photoblog - Day 278 Jan 12, 2011

My three companions:

Since I was relatively free from any training-related work this particular day, I found myself just staying home and resting... blogging... uploading pictures... and recovering a bit (just a bit) from the previous night's drinking session at the NBC tent.

Naturally, I had as companions, the three dogs in our place... Bubbles and Buffy of course, being our pets - and Bruce, our visiting Pug (lower right portion of the picture). Ben brought Bruce to our place and Bubbles quite naturally adopted Bruce with little fuzz.

Buffy, on the other hand, well it's still a confusing aspect with her - take for example this picture... here we have all three dogs co-existing peacefully - in fact, Buffy and Bruce were playing and running around. But prior to that - and even later still, Buffy seemed to be getting angry with Bruce. Huh? What gives, right?

It is for that reason that we can't still keep Bruce out of his cage... unless we're around. After all, Bruce may be close to Buffy's size, but he's still a puppy - then again, so is Buffy... though she's at least 4 months older than Bruce.

On taking this picture, I was patiently waiting for them to all be in the frame - a near impossibility, as both Bruce and Buffy were al over the place - and in some situations, Bubbles woudl be in the wrong place... totally blocking out the two smaller dogs. Then this happens - though they were all looking in different directions - but seeing thsi opportunity, I readied my camera -gave a very brief loud kiss noise for them all to turn in my direction... and took the shot.

Ben was watching me when I took the shot and he knew I got that rare shot of them all looking at me. What can I say... sometimes I amaze myself too.

Photoblog - Day 277 Jan 11, 2011

DLSU 100 yrs - kick-off:

So how did you spend your 1-11-11? Well the DLSU Alumni Association decided to spend the evening in the NBC Tent, with the intent to kick-start the Centenial celebration of De La Salle's presence here in the Philippines.

This picture shows DLSAA Chairman Henry Atayde (in disguise) showing everyone the activities map - while informing us all just how the celebration is being planned and naturally, what's in store for La Salle.

I came in as both an LSGH batch 78 alumni and a DLSU batch 82 alumni - met a few people I haven't seen since... well, since college days, actually - and even met a few new people too. Over-all things look exciting. But don't expect me to attend everything. As for souvenir items, well... I did not really see anything worth getting that evening - hopefully, as the Centenial comes closer, there will be better shirts or jackets.

Photoblog - Day 276 Jan 10, 2011

Future Team Leads 2011:

This is a Team Lead School - a two day training for new TLs, to get them started on knowing what is espected of them.

the course is a hodge-podge of many ideas taken form other courses... with the main intent of giving the TLs an idea of what they are expected to do... process to follow and experiences to be shared.

That said, this particular training was different because I mostly sat at the back and acted as an added resource to the training while my partner in this conduct - Lina, went through all modules (a first for her) to see what she could do, and whether she could finally conduct things like TL school without getting away with only the easy modules and letting her partner handle the bulk of the training. This time, the show was in the other foot.

I made it appear that I was there to help - but not handle modules... to interject, but not facilitate. We needed to see if she could really study and conduct the course, and for the most part, she could wing it by redirecting questions from the audience - back to the audience. At the end of day 1, I gave her my observations... for her consideration - and hopefully, a better day2.

Photoblog - Day 275 Jan 9, 2011

KFC Lunch:

This Sunday, we decided to do things a bit different... instead of waking up late, we opted to get up earlier than our usual weekend manner (where half the day is over by the time everyone is up), and go for an early mass (as opposed to going to mass at 6pm) in Greenhills.

Then we'd take lunch and and be done with all our obligations and walks early to enjoy the rest of the day relaxing at home - in preparation for the regular classes and work days.

Now we normally look for a place to have lunch - and we considered KFC an option acceptable to all - hence here we went... to KFC in Shaw Bldv. We enjoyed our lunch... and made true the option of relaxing the rest fo the day. How so? In the kids' case - the usual internet and afternoon siesta... while in Barbie and my case - a DVD movie viewing. We decided to watch Percy Jackson.

All we did was wait for dinner time - while really just enjoying the slow and peaceful day. A far cry from the hustle and bustle of the work days... so I guess I was likewise recharging - after all, at the end of last Friday's training, I already had coughing fits... an itchy throat and really felt dead tired - so I really needed this weekend rest.

Photoblog - Day 274 Jan 8, 2011

Dentist's orders:

Yes, you read right. This was just what the dentist that we went to ordered... after cleaning the teeth of Bryce and Bernice - and having had a tooth (or portions of it) extracted from them, the dentist did say to treat them with ice cream.

Now, since we have not been to Robinson's Galleria for years (we used to regularly grocery there - until Robinson's Pioneer opened... the need to get ice cream was dependent on where we'd find such. Lucky for us all (that is - Bryce , Bernice and me, we stumbled upon 'Carra Mia' - so I asked them if they wanted to eat there and they naturally said yes.

What I have in the picture is a strawberry-banana ice cream cake... with lots of chocolate to go with it. It's taste sort of reminds me of a banana-split. But don't take my word for it... by all means, try it out... either at the Robinson's Ortigas area or at theGreenhills area - beside Amicci.

Yup... 2011 is when we finally decided to go to the dentist and have our teeth fixed, pulled or generally repaired. After all... Bryce will be needing braces.

Photoblog - Day 273 Jan 7, 2011

Shades and Shadows:

This picture won't be possible in the mall's usual working hours... for one, there'd be too many people going around. Two, the sun might be too high so as not to reflect it's rays in the inner corridor of said mall.

That said, I was able to get this picture as I saw the sun's rays shining into the corridor. At first, I was the opposite end - taking pictures of the chairs and tables with the natural lighting. But when I went to the opposite end of said corridor, I was struck with how the lights and shades played with each other - how the arches were emphasized - giving the place a sudden exotic eastern look.

I realized that this was a much better view and had to take the shot. Heck, if I had to consider adding to this, I might think of adding a shapely model standing under one of those arches - letting her silhouette play with the light as well. But as it is... it shows a beautiful scene. Guess there are advantages with coming in real early.

He he... yes, I did have my breakfast in McDonald's - as it was one of the few opened places at that time.

Photoblog - Day 272 Jan 6, 2011

My first comics for 2011:

Yup - another hold-over from 2010... and way longer that that, is my hobby of buying, collecting and reading comics. I still have my usual list of must reads. In this case, I looked forward to Captain America, Green Lantern, X-men, Superboy (surprisingly good) and S.H.I.E.L.D. - easily my favorite in this bunch. In fact, I just might make an inspired review of S.H.I.E.L.D. - just deciding whether to wait for it to end first; or do it now.

There are a few other titles I might be discontinuing - Secret Warriors (as it is winding down), Avengers... but on the other hand, there are others that look promising, hence my starting them like Batman: Dark Knight. Then there's a hold-over form the holidays - Orange Lantern and the hilarious story in it... no real bother as it's just a one-shot issue.

So... if this is a start - I guess I can imagine how my collection will once again grow by end of 2011... assuming I continue collecting, that is.

Note to self... remove plastic covers to prevent glare - or shoot away from a window.

Photoblog - Day 270 Jan 4, 2011

Back to the grind...

Yup - vacation was over on the 3rd of January, as I greeted 2011's work week by handling a Project Management School training for Accenture. Does this mean I'm destined to teach PM-related stuff for this year? Can this sustain me all throughout the year? Hope it can. Will I change work mid-stride? I am thinking about it.

So the first work week of 2011 found me busy the entire week - since PMS is a four day course... and for a moment, I thought I needed to teach it solo. Luckily, Gina was able to join me in day 2 - with her personal emergency taken care of. By Wednesday, as this picture represents, other trainers were already present in McKinley as well. So yeah... everything was going back to the way things were before the Christmas-break.

If there was any hidden meaning to the fact that PMS was the last training I had in 2010 - and now in 2011 it 's the first... well, I'll just leave that to more learned people. Me... I'm just glad I've got work to ofset all my holiday spendings.

Photoblog - Day 271 Jan 5, 2011

I/ACT pioneers:

Would you believe that there's a real good chance I happen to be the youngest person in the group? I said chance because I was too polite to ask - but one thing is a fact. Everyone - and I mean every single face in this picture with me - was in I/ACT before I joined.

For those not in the know, I/ACT was the premiere computer institute of the 70's - and at it's peak, had branches in other ASEAN countries... and these people were the ones responsible for all this. It was in I/ACT that I started learning my I.T. skills in programming and systems analysis... hence the start of my journey in eventually becoming a facilitator, corporate trainer, coach and consultant.

Imagine that... this particular evening, I was technically representing the 3rd generation of I/ACT. I think others might have come after I left... too bad I wasn't able to rub elbows with them again.

This gathering, is, in fact... an I/ACT pioneers reunion... and I happen to be there as well by simple luck... through Benj Santillan (the guy in front of me) - and if I'm to consider the story right, all these were made possible because of Ime Ponteres. All these people knew Ime... many visited her wake... and were reunited. They kept in email contact - and organized this reunion.

It was nice to meet some people - people whose names were constant mentions to me in my I/ACT days... and I would have stayed longer had I been able to better plan my joining this group's reunion. I also wished I knew more people here... but that's okay, there'll be more opportunities for that.

Photoblog - Day 269 Jan 3, 2011

Need a break?

Break from what exactly? From the holiday rush... from the holiday food... from anything holiday-related? Yeah, there are times I felt like that.

Let's face it, this particular Christmas seemed to have come and gone by so fast, I hardly felt I had time to enjoy it. Oh there were a few days - maybe just one actually, when I would be bale to sit back, relax and enjoy the season - but majority of the time, I felt like being rushed here and there.

Well this particular day was a pre-planned rest day... just stay home... period. If any prep time was focused on, it was to ensure that the 4th (being the official first day of work), would start without a hitch.

As for my picture? It's my way of spreading the news about the new Goya Chunky... it's actually good - with that unique Filipino chocolatey taste as only Goya creates (some of you may vaguely recall the taste - but when you bite into this, you'll be reminded again), plus the added taste of cashew nuts (for those Balikabayans who can still remember Antipolo and the roasted cashews sold there.

Now imagine these in a Goya bar... yeah... Kit Kats are great - but these are no pushovers as well. What I'm showing are the white and dark chocolate variants... there is a milk chocolate variant too - but I ate it before this picture could be taken.

As for the technical details... I wished I had a flash diffuser... the right portions of the bar have too harsh a lighting - so it was hard to come up with a balanced picture showing crisp details and yet have everything almost visible. Either that or take the shot with a tripod next time, sans flash. Lovern - a colleague in training, actually introduced me to this... as it was her gift to us all during Christmas.

By the way... those chocolates under the two bars? They're not real... they're coasters designed like chocolates - a gift from a colleague (Gina Medina) for Christmas. Neat looking huh?

What TV show do you wish would go off the air for good?

drama shows that have little educational or morally uplifting values... the so called shows catering to the masses, thus seemingly dumbing down their plots and characters.

Ask me anything

Do you believe in ghosts?

Oh yeah... seen one when I was a kid.

Ask me anything

What's the most unselfish thing you've ever done?

as a boy relatively fresh in joining the cub scouts, I once saw a tree that fell across the road in front of our home due to the storm - without hesitation, I put on a raincoat, got a flashlight and stood sentry in front of felled tree to warn motorists.

Ask me anything

Photoblog - Day 268 Jan 2, 2011

Dict's Advanced Birthday:

It was a choice between a picture of Dict blowing his cake or of Jude with cake icing on his face - I naturally opted for the latter. After all, we can always get Dict blowing his cake at another birthday (or year, if you want to be more accurate), but when will we be able to get a picture of Jude Brent smiling with icing on his face?

This will be a classic Facebook picture that his mom will love showing off to his classmates in around 10 years time - and I'm just glad I was around to take said picture. You can see the glee in Barbie's face - plus the mischief in her smile (you definitely know who the mastermind to such an act of putting icing on Jude's face was).

Though Dict's birthday would officially be the next day, we had this celebration in Cavite so his (and Barbie's) parents could be part of the small gathering. Plus we wanted the 3rd to be a rest day for us - in preparation for work and school as ushered in by 2011.

Photoblog - Day 267 Jan 1, 2011

Happy 2011!!!

Firs of all... from my family to yours - Have a Happy and Prosperous New Year!

As tradition goes, we stayed up until way beyond the midnight hour to greet 2011, and we had our traditional midnight meal - with some bubblies for the adults (Asti Martini). Barbie cooked up a great meal... Pasta with Tuna and Olive Oil and a few herbs, capers, olives - all healthy and filling, without being too filling.

We also had our choco fondue - with pretzels, melon, and marshmallows for dessert. Prior to all these, I made a pitcher of Red Bacardi Mojitos for Barbie, Ben and me, so we really had a good time as we awaited and welcomed the New Year.

After which, we watched a few fire works... thank God there were less this year than last year - hence less smoke and black nostrils in the morning. Some people say it's because of the hardships they've experienced in 2010... me, I think a lot of people are more environment conscious, and less likely to celebrate with fireworks.

May 2011 be a year of goals reached and dreams fulfilled - and it starts with this day.

Photoblog - Day 266 Dec 31, 2010

Ready for 2011!

How, exactly, is this picture representative of getting ready for 2011? Let me explain.

This is a practice we have been...well, practicing for several years now - and I might as well share it with you. The use of these glasses (and it can be any form of glass, shape and size) comes with the belief that if we greet the new year with these four glasses - and their contents, the coming year will be affect in the following manner:

Cotton - to represent lightness of life's challenges in the coming year;
Salt - adding some spice to life... so it need not be boring and dragging;
Rice - so we may not want, as we will always have food to eat on the table; and...
Sugar - to add sweetness to the coming year, and possibly compliment the spice part.

I know... it's a belief, and there really is no evidence to prove it... but in sheer 'The Secret' style, who knows? It may just be self fulfilling.

Photoblog - Day 265 Dec 30, 2010

Auld Lang Syne:

Way back when... in Boy Scouting days to be exact, was when I first got to learn about this song. One that was sang as people in the Jamboree we were attending were parting ways. Back then it did not really sink in - probably because as the first stanza would say 'Should old acquaintance be forgot...' was simply alien to me.

Now I have to admit, I have had some forgotten old acquaintances - some because we were just too busy to keep tabs with, as life (more likely, work) pulled us apart. Well, this picture is of my old I/ACT colleagues - who have made it a point to still keep abreast with each other, and every year-end, they get together for one last hurrah. I used to join them - but as I said, we got too busy, lost touch and contact for such a get together.

I realized this fact upon seeing facebook pics of these reunions - and realized what I missed. Well this year, thanks to FB, I made it a point to be part of said reunion - and keep tabs. I just wanted to make sure that I let 'Auld Lang Syne' be a song... and not a reality.

Photoblog - Day 264 Dec 29, 2010

Cuenca Christmas visit:

This item was long overdue - our visits to Cuenca are planned trips... it's just too far to do on a whim, as it involves preparation of what to bring - and the assumption (though it has not always held, of course) is that we would be going as a family. After all, we may see Bing once in a while, when she travels to Manila, and the same can be said for Tizza - though I guess, in rarer terms. But to see my mom, we have to go there. She isn't well enough to handle long trips to Manila and back to Cuenca... and even if we could come up with a car to allow her to travel, she gets tired and I guess, Manila travel and air isn't too good for her these days (fatigue plus pollution).

We normally schedule our Christmas trips earlier, but this year, things were just too hectic for me - so we decided to hit two birds with one stone, seeing as we were going a bit late anyway - and come on Migs birthday as well... I believe, this is a first for us... normally going for the Christmas celebration and well, just telling Migs his advanced birthday greeting.

It may even be better... who knows - I'll see how busy I get same time in 2011. But I don't mind traveling on the 29th... though I would prefer more time to plan things out better... not that this was a disaster (as the picture is proof) - just that it leaves little time for cleaning up for the new years, is all. But still... this trip was purely Kairos time - which is how trips like this should be.

Just what are they laughing at? Who cares, really... the fact is - and the important matter IS that they are laughing. Rare as our visits are, it's situations like this that make the planning and travel time worthwhile.

Photoblog - Day 263 Dec 28, 2010

Christmas done, but not yet gone:

One of the great things about our Christmas season here in the Philippines is that it sort of starts early (December 16th is the official celebratory prep time via Simbang Gabi) and goes on until Three Kings (the first Sunday of the new year). That said, the Christmas decors are set up earlier than usual (compared to the rest of the world) and are not torn down right after New Year's celebration.

This allows us to better appreciate the decors which we may have missed due to all the Christmas shopping rush - which in turn creates the pre-Christmas traffic jams.

After Christmas, though. things look very differently - and it is not a disturbing effort to get from point A to point B in the Metro. That said, take this simple yet poignant display... so simple with all it's white lights - yet elegantly done. I refer to the display of the Podium.

Why was I at the Podium? I was going to get some barongs (office attire dress shirts with a local feel) since some of my older barongs are ready to retire. But since parking in Mega Mall is a nightmare... even in non-Christmas rush days, the Podium offered a saner place to park - and eat. Plus I had to meet my dad, so he could give me something to bring to Cuenca - where I would be going tomorrow.

As for the picture... we definitely don't have White Christmases here - but at least we can simulate it some way... and still keep form freezing. That counts for something, right?

Photoblog - Day 262 Dec 27, 2010

High School BFFs:

Today happened to be Barbie's reunion with some friends she has not met since... well, since high school, if the story is to be believed. I mean, think of it... these are people I've never seen (except for Jay, of course - 2nd from right and not jumping) when I met and courted her. Yet these people had shared a great part of their teen formative lives together. Amazing that after so long a time, they find the opportunity to get together. Thanks in part of rediscovering each other in Facebook.

So when Barbie mentioned this... I could not, in all conscience, say no to her wanting me to drive her to their meeting place - which to me was a chance to do some exploring myself. After all, I did not mind going to Mall of Asia to hang around while they got reacquainted. I got a few comics to read and for the rest of the time... well, I could always explore.

Still, as plans go... this one did not go exactly as planned - so four of them (with me in tow) had to meet Jay in Las Piñas - a place easier for her to go to, given her not too strong constitution. They stayed in Starbucks' 2nd floor - while I made myself scarce, but reachable in staying at the coffee place's ground floor.

I took this fun shot at their request - before they finally called it a day. As Barbie said... seeing your wife happy meeting friends she has not seen in decades - 'priceless'.

Photoblog - Day 261 Dec 26, 2010

Sunday Rest Day:

For the most part of the day we stayed home - aside from the need to get away from all the hectic Christmas-related reunions, my body was in complaining mode from all the food and drinks I took in; so it went to automatic cleaning mode...don't ask. For those of you who seem to get it, yeah... not an attractive topic for a blog, huh?

You can probably guess that going out would therefore be the last thing on my mind... but it being a Sunday and all, we had to go to mass - and since we did not have anyone to cook at home as Ate VIcky was likewise on vacation, we decided to eat at Pho Hoa of the Shangi La Plaza.

I took the safe road... had a sea food bowl with Barbie - avoiding anything with oil. So yeah, this could be considered the highlight of my day. As for the picture, just a shot of Barbie and Bernice while waiting for their order to arrive.

Photoblog - Day 260 Dec 25, 2010

Chocolate and Cheese:

The two things that seem to go so well with wine - and since Barbie and I were planning to have some wine, well... we decided to have both (in this case, some feta cheese and cherry cordial flavored kisses)

Though the 25th may be a day of traditional celebration with relatives, I was just too tired from all the Christmas prep, visits and traffic. So I just wanted to stay home and have some peace in our home as the entire world was wishing peace on earth. I felt I owed it to myself to just rest after all these hectic days.

Did I feel isolated and detached? Nope... thanks to aps like Facebook, I was greeting people where I could.

Photoblog - Day 259 Dec 24, 2010

Reunions... reunions...

Yeah, it's that time of the year when we get to see relatives we've hardly seen the past months - and I marvel at the fact that without Facebook, I might have missed them out in a crowd... amazing huh?

But reunions like this allow is to touch base - some, I'm sad to say, even just superficially. After all, if you hardly know anything about yourselves other than the fact that you have similar ancestors, what would you talk about? Well, apparently... our ancestors of course. I mean... what else?

I got to know more about a great-grand mother whom I've never heard of... and just realized that her story is being turned into a movie... just so her life and it's hardships can be told (and hopefully, some lessons learned?).

I also learned a story of my dad during his teen years... so yeah, I was laughing out loud at that.

The food was indisputably great... and I really have to watch my weight during these times. So yeah... I felt that if anything else, some more bridges were built between me and my cousins, uncles and aunts. We're not as close as I would like... but at least we have these occasions - and ones not sorrowful in nature (like funerals).

This picture shows my dad (center) and uncles sharing a light moment. So yeah... here's looking forward to the next one - the eve before the New Year.

Photoblog - Day 258 Dec 23, 2010

Last PM School 2010:

I must say that I normally do not look forward to handling PM school - it usually is too stuffed with topics, and should the participants be less inspired to talk, I (and my partner) would be exhausted for talking the entire day. Last time I handled this, I think I had to do a few days alone... so, to be honest, I was not really looking forward to this.

Lucky for me, Gina would be sharing the facilitating load with me... and we would have a class filled with very active listeners and more than a handful of people willing to share their Accenture experience... and we had people from different groups that somehow complemented each other when it came to asking questions raised to the group.

Bottom line? I really loved this session. Even if Gina and I were tired, due to our respective hectic weekends - and hectic Monday (Christmas party, remember?) even if we were going a bit over the official class time, we were both okay with it... heck we even had to intervene a few times to get the conversations to move along - lest we end up really having overtime on the last day.

But the experience shared - both from in and outside Accenture viewpoints; the tossing around of ideas; the invaluable insights into how certain parts of the company worked - this was all very interesting... and needed by these new (and not so new) PMs.

When 5PM finally came, I was almost sad to see it end... and surprise surprise... neither Gina, nor I was drained by this particular run. We enjoyed it... and more importantly, our participants enjoyed it. Great way to end my year of teaching/facilitating.

If only all PM classes were like this. Thanks a lot folks!

Photoblog - Day 257 Dec 22, 2010

Celebrating friendship:

This was supposed to be a night for the winners of our singing contest, while also being a night to celebrate one last time with some friends - at least, last time for the year, since they would have no more trainings for the rest of December.

That said, of the group that won, only Francis, Jinky and I were able to be there - accompanied with Lovern and Gina... the other two - Jingo and Brian, were occupied elsewhere... but I thought that was okay, since we also used up some of the cash, as part of our post party celebration. My thoughts here being that if it was near impossible to pull together all five, we could do two separate celebrations - so long as majority of the winners were able to enjoy it. It just so happened that both Gina and I were present in the two celebrations.

as I said though, it was also a night to share a drink with some of them - whom I would not be seeing until January... Jinky, Francis and Lovern fell into this category.

Of course, the evening was also loud... since we just happen to be in one small corner - right beside the karaoke speaker. Suffice to say, once we were done with the bucket of beer we ordered, we called it a night.

Photoblog - Day 256 Dec 21, 2010

December Comics:

I did take advantage of my being in Makati yesterday, to pass a comic shop I rarely frequent (simply because it is out of my usual route), because I needed to get a comic I asked them to get for me... and they called me a few days earlier to inform me that they did have the comic re-ordered. So I did need to go there... and my having to go to the Christmas party was the best coincidence to do just that.

Naturally, I took it upon myself to maximize my visit... deciding to get a few more issues from them - ones I hardly find in my regular comic shops.

That was last night. Reading these comics, however, were more scheduled for today (no time to do it last night, after all), since I was still in the middle of conducting a Project Management training with Gina. So I thought to myself... okay, while Gina is lecturing, I would have time to read these comics.

Most of them were catch-up reading with The Green Hornet, and I did get a comic I already had - simply because the cover was by Alex Ross... a tribute to Vampirella issue #1 back when it was first published by Warren magazine. Though it just showed the back of vampi - with Drakulon (the supposed planet she came from) as her background. I can't remember who painted the cover back then though.

These won't be the last comics I'll be getting this year... at least, I'd like to think so.

Photoblog - Day 255 Dec 20, 2010

Christmas Party:

The occasion is the Phoenix One Christmas party... the location is the rooftop of Asian Mansions in Makati... a private enough place for such a party with about 50 people (approximately speaking); and quite naturally, a place in general that I would want to avoid, since Makati is one of a handful of places in the middle of Christmas shopping madness, and therefore, horrendous traffic jams.

But... it is a Christmas party after all, and it has been a while since I've been part of one - the last one I remember being in was the Orange and Bronze party last year... I think, and I was just a spectator there - an invited guest. Not so here, as the picture shows.

Highlight of the night? Welcome to the Sing-along relay contest where a group of 5 people will be given a random song to sing, and they will have to try their best to interpret it. The thing is, it's virtually anything goes, and you had better hope that you get the luck of the draw with a song you know.

Lucky for us (us being Brian, Francis, Jinky and myself), we have Jingo on our team - but this being a relay, Jingo could only carry oh... 20% of the songs (roughly speaking). First round pick was a familiar enough tune - made famous by Billy Joel... then later, by Westlife (I think) - 'Uptown Girl'; and we squeezed in the top 3 with a 93 despite thinking we were goners.

Well next round was apparently more difficult - 'Staying Alive' by the Bee Gees... I mean, c'mon... really? Bee Gees? If if was 'Charade' - a song pre-falcetto Bee Gees days, I would have a fighting chance. As it was, I had to bring it several rungs lower just to turn in my tune, and the rest gladly followed. But we did not bother thinking we'd win - and I guess that helped. No pressure.

Our score? 99 - from there on, it was just a matter of time. The team that followed us must have been slightly intimidated... and Jingo even commented on the same thing to me. Anything less than 100 would not be good enough for them - and at the best, they could tie with another 99... and they would have, since their song was (at least to my mind) easier for a majority ladies team (Gloria Gaynor's I will Survive).

Photoblog - Day 254 Dec 19, 2010

Believe:

My kids are at this age where they don't believe in Santa Claus anymore... just paying lip service to the idea (and the person playing the role in this picture). Too bad... I feel that one of the things that keeps the magic of Christmas alive was their belief - and our helping instill said belief, in Santa.

Guess it was bound to happen, huh? And with loss of belief comes a certain added cynicism - though I don't think my kids are too cynical. I can't remember when I realized that there was no Santa... but this did not make me stop hoping or believing in the concept. I guess that sort of explains why I enjoy watching films of Santa, deep inside, I hope and pray that I do see Santa - and not just believe in a marketing idea. It's my inner child refusing to be totally swept away.

Photoblog - Day 253 Dec 18, 2010

Cheese plate:

This evening, Barbie and I hosted our second wine and cheese night for Fred and Carlos. If things go according to conversations from this night's gathering, we might just make this a semi-regular thing. This night, Fred brought his girl friend Clorian, hopefully in succeeding such nights, we'll have Gerry joining us as well (assuming he gets to pull himself from whatever keeps him very busy these days).

The cheese cutter was something I got from the St. James bazaar - something I specifically looked for, as I was getting frustrated with having to scrape the cheese from any knife. Aside from this, one could possibly glimpse some red and white colored plates and matching cloth napkins - all for better presentation... and items that we (that is, Barbie and I) bought from the Crossings Depaartment Store in Shangri La Plaza.

The table looked great, and we had a great time. Though this time, we consumed less wine as Carlos and I were more focussed on savoring a 15-year old Scotch (brouhgt by Carlos). We also had three cakes (two courtesy of Fred). Yup... looking forward to the next one - most probably by next year.

Photoblog - Day 251 Dec 16, 2010

New Star(bucks)!

This new building happens to be a two story Starbucks coffee place located in the Fort. Barbie had visited it and she wanted us to experience this as well. Naturally, I was curious about the new place, and lugged my camera to take a few pcitures.

The place was almost full - despite it's size, and seemingly out of the way location from the High Street and other more densely populated locales within Bonifacio. Still, we did find some seats (barely), and enjoyed our coffee.

Will I ever come back here to relax and enjoy the experience? Maybe... after all, I have no real reason to go back - considering that there are other, more convenient Starbucks locations - with the one if Fully Booked specifically coming ot mind. Technically, this is the building's rear... though it looks a bit more interesting that it's front.

Photoblog - Day 252 Dec 17, 2010

Blue:

As I said im a previous post (two days back), I was planning on taking a shot of me in the blue light. Where exactly did this blue light come from? Simple... I found a room filled with PCs and their monitors on standby Windows screen mode. This was where I took the picture of the clock as prep for my picture. Consdier this my official photo for the month.

It was a bit of a challenge too, considering I had no tripod with me during this shot, and I still had to consider how the camera somehow tried overcompensating to adjust it's shot looking too blue. How did I do this? Putting my ISO setting to 100, to capture light as quick as possible, not use a flash, and make sure my white balance was placed in a bright light mode, so the camera would compensate by making the shot slightly darker. But it didn't end there either... I had to add to the contrast of the pciture - remove the visible monitors and just leave the ligth relfection to do it's magic to me adn my features.

The results hoepfully speak for themselves.

Photoblog - Day 250 Dec 15, 2010

Tempus Fugit:

Time flies... so the saying goes - but at times, time seems to stand still as well... so which is it? The Greeks give us a clue - two actually. That is right, the Greek have two meanings to time that captures this duality. Chronos and Kairos.

Chronos, or linear time, is time that does not wait... the one that flies. It's what people are rushing to catch when they chase deadlines. Kairos, on the other hand, is quality time... the kind we'd like to stretch - to stand still, to freeze and rememebr forever with pcitures or videos.

But enough of this... let's talkabotu the picture. I took this clock in a room lit in blue - funny how just that fact makes an otherwise mundane picture seem to be seen in a differnt light (and yes, I intended the pun - sue me if you find it corny). I wnated to capture the clock in the blue hue... and yes, this was in preperation of another shot I was hoping to take... this time, with me in the frame. Unfortunately, my camera took this time to run out of juice. Ah well... will do this at another date... and post the results here too.

Photoblog - Day 249 Dec 14, 2010

New Laptop:

Okay... maybeit's nto so new, but it's a laptop and it's mine. Consider this a Christmas gift I'm giving myself - and Lord knows I needed one after my old reliable became less reliable. So now I'm going to be luggin around this Toshiba Satellite whenever I need to access my files.

I'd go through the specs - but I think it would not be so interesting to some folks, so suffice to say this laptop is larger, more powerful and heavier than my old one. It's an improvement in almost all aspects - and I'm lucky it fits into my laptop backpack.

I'll admit to still adjusting to the use of this laptop, and I still have to consolidate my files - but with my TB portable HD, that shouldn't be much of a problem.

Photoblog - Day 248 Dec 13, 2010

New Batch:

Yeah, yeah... regular followers of this blog (there must be at least one of you, right?) will probably think 'ho hum, another entry about his comics' - and in that regard, you may be right; but consider the fact that this is a photoblog of how I spent my tear - and if it isn't obvious yet, let me point out that I collect and buy comics almost on a weekly basis. So don't be surprised with these entries (and this certainly won't be the last for the year... or this project).

That said, let me say something about this new batch...

Vampirella! A new number one issue at that. I've been a fan of the character since... well since her Vampirella black and white magazine days. Let's face it, her early adventures were rather okay... but the art, and how her character was written - hoo boy, was she a fantasy piece for every '70s comic geek. I've heard the B&W stories will be reprinted by Dynamite... that's cool too. I wouldn't mind recollecting Vampi.

Aside from that, there's the Chaos War... hmmm... I'm still on the fence on this, but getting it anyway. The Green Hornet is another Dynamite product... and I'm starting to respect this publisher a whole lot more. After all, this incarnation of Green Hornet is being penned by Kevin Smith. The runaway surprise that I enjoyed, though is the Chaos War's Dead Avengers - and though I don't know where this is going yet, it seems well crafted, and I do miss a few of the characters here.

Lastly... Children's Crusade. A good story and a nice twist - great characterization and art... but where is this going, I wonder? Regardless, I'm just glad that Wanda - the real Wanda it seems, is back.

Photoblog - Day 247 Dec 12, 2010

Meet Bruce:

No, he isn't our dog. Bruce is based in my in-laws place in Cavite, and we just happened to pay them a visit today. Bruce was bought by my brothers and sisters-in-law in Tiendesitas sometime November this year. He's just a puppy (pedigreed), though I doubt he'll grow dramatically larger than his current frame. After all, Bruce's breed (a Pug if I'm not mistaken) does not lend itself to growing much larger than his current size.

Bruce's breed's claim to fame came form the movie 'Men in Black', wherein one alien disguises himself as the dog of a newspaper owner - and I remember this becasue I remember a lot of trivial items related to movies... specially comic adaptations (as Men in Black was).

Back to Bruce... he greeted us enthusiastically and as some other pcitures would attest, he is likewise ready to play at a moment's notice. Wonder if his demeanor - and outlook towards strangers will change as he gets older? In this picture, we see Barbie controling Bruce's movements, so he could have his picture taken.

As for the picture itself, since I wanted to use all natural light, I declined using a flash to allow the dominance of orange to come through.

Photoblog - Day 246 Dec 11, 2010

Christmas Bacardi Get Together:

Yes, it's that most wonderful time of the week - a weekend with a Bacardi Night, and not just any Bacardi night; mind you... but one that's got the larger group together for our 2nd Annual Christmas gathering / white elephant - exchange gift game. It's also a great time for us to play catch up with old friends whom we've not seen in a while - or whom we've had little time to sit down and talk shop with - due to the hectic demands of work.

As you can see by the picture, we were able to have a sizable group - counting just four absentees from this gathering. Oh well, next time we'll hopefully have a more complete attendance... and talking about next bacardi nights, before this night ended, we more or less, pegged the schedules and locations for the next two Bacardi Nights for 2011.

For thsi pic, I set the camera on timer mode, and lucky for us all, Nai had a tripod handy. So cheers folks... and see you all again after all these holiday traffic.

Photoblog - Day 243 Dec 08, 2010

Partaaaay!

Okay, it's not as wild as the title connotes, and the picture isn't indicative of how wild I might have been that entire evening. I wasn't drunk... far from it... I was just pulled into joining the Limbo Rock game/activity by the Red Cross Makati volunteers - the people who were the primary reason for this party. Come to think of it, this party was already their second - you might say, an extension to their afternoon party... though I missed that one, since I had training.

Yup... Red Cross Makati. I'm starting to slowly integrate myself into the organization as a volunteer, mentor cum 'partner'. I've actually been asked by John Tiong - the Makati group's current chair; and long time college buddy of mine, to join them... for, oh... about a year now. I did not commit then because I was unsure of how regular work would be coming, and I did not want to give a half-meant commitment. Now... I can better work with them... though integrating myself slowly into the group.

Meanwhile, from what I hear, this kind of thing happens monthly... how about that?

Was I worried as I was doing the limbo rock? Not really... after all, I was surrounded by people who were experts in First Aid... with a group that had the most complete equipment, and best trained pool of volunteers. Nope... no worries at all.

Photoblog - Day 245 Dec 10, 2010

My Test Design Class:

This particular training started last Wednesday, and ended today - in the course of the conduct these seven individuals became quite inquisitive and communicative - not just with the lessons taught, but with each other's lives. Because of this, what was possibly one boring technical class turned into a lively -and at times, even riotous (though not too riotous, of course) 3-day session.

I was not the only facilitator here - as I was sharing the lecture load with Tess... and we were both amused with how the trainees conversations went - consider a typical workshop assignment or video-based discussion: whereas others would concentrate on their respective monitors, doing the tasks by themselves, these people would keep talking to each other... then later, across the room - to the others in another table regarding non-training related stuff... all while trying to do the lessons' activities.

Rather than stop this freewheeling discussions, I allowed it to keep going; all the while observing the group of individuals getting seemingly closer with each other. By day 3 some of them were joking around as if they knew each other for quite some time now. Imagine that. Tess and I even jokingly referred to some discussions in the same vein as a 'my grandpa is better than your grandpa' discussion amongst kids in a playground - these are all adults talking; mind you.

I have to admit that this has got to be one of the better group dynamics I've seen happen. Mind you, they were not probably the best combination of smarts - but they were most likely an ideal combination for forming a team... had circumstances put them into one project, that is.

Interesting experience. Too bad it ended. Their banters made everyone's training less regimented... less dragging, less boring. No one fell asleep - in fact, no one seemed to need coffee. They were all sustained by each one learning more about their new friends - and the training's lessons along the way.

This was one time I did not feel too drained from facilitating. I was too busy enjoying... listening to the side-conversations as well.

Photoblog - Day 244 Dec 09, 2010

My New Trades!

When comics are printed on a monthly basis, they usually have story arcs that span a few issues... maybe four; at times, six. I mean, it's easy to say these are stories subdivided into smaller parts and one gets to read them in roughly 20+ pages of stories - released monthly (or in some cases, weekly).

As a comic collector, I've been used to this buy, read and 'wait another month for the continuation' routine, and because I was a collector - past trades were not that interesting to me, since they represented stories of issues I already had (or, in cases where I missed getting an issue... mostly had). The price was therefore not that attractive to me... and let's face it, some stories were not worth the binding they were placed on - even if the bindings were better than your average stapled comic book.

So why am I seemingly slowly getting to be a trade paperback convert? Simple... there have been back issues that I missed out on - in some instances, whole stories... specially from DC's titles belonging to the pre-Crisis era. I know, some of you may be wondering exactly what I'm alluding to... suffice it to say, that was one big event in DC and it was a perfect steeping stone for me to slowly integrate myself to said universe.

One such title was the Legion of Superheroes... and one such story arch was the Darkness Saga. So you can imagine how glad I was to get this yesterday evening. I also heard a lot about Fables, and am likewise trying the title out. Advantages of trades therefore are two-fold in this instance... it gave me a second chance to get into opportunities (story arcs) missed, and the second? I need not wait a long time, nor need I worry about a broken arc with a missing issue.

Photoblog - Day 242 Dec 07, 2010

Quiet Reading Corner:

When I can find time for reading... and I do find time in between lectures, I catch up on a variety of subject matters - for example, Time has an article regarding Wikileaks, that I was just curious about , so I got the issue - and should I grow tired of reading Time's articles, I switch to a book - in this case, I am now reading Seth Godin's Tribes. My first Godin book, actually. I was curious about him before - and I do subscribe to his articles in the website... but it is just now that I considered getting a Godin book.

I know he's got a lot of ideas - often times, radical paradigm shift ideas... but hey, it helps put the status quo in a different light. This one is more leadership oriented... or at least, it tries to be. It's also easy reading, but I have to say, I guess I've grown accustomed to Seth's style on the web... short write-ups, and I'm still on the bench wondering if I prefer his style here (longer but more complete with explanation), or simply short and profound (due to a seeming lack of explanation).

Ah well... guess it's time I renewed some of my passions for leadership, and likewise renew my tribal influences. They haven't disappeared - though I'd say they have somehow hibernated.

Oh yeah... and reading goes so well with either some coffee or tea; both of which I can get in Starbucks.

Photoblog - Day 241 Dec 06, 2010

Comics - Week 1, December:

Yeah, I know it's been a while since I featured some comics in my blog... it's not that I wasn't getting any, it was more likely that I was featuring other things - after all, my life isn't just all about comics. I was simply making sure that there was no monotony regarding the topics of coverage that I was placing in this 365 project.

Having said that, I show a collection of comics that I got just this weekend, and will start reading them soon as I find the time - which would normally mean before sleeping - or if I can, I'd bring them with me to work and do tackle an issue or two (or three) in my free time.

Of this batch, I continue enjoying Fantastic Four, and am likewise curious as to where the new direction of Batman is going.

Photoblog - Day 240 Dec 05, 2010

A Night of Symphony!

One of the nice things about shopping at malls this time of year happens to be the special, and free shows that these establishments have set up for their shopping public. It can be a great opportunity to see how certain institutions stand the test of time; and in this case, we have the Manila Symphony Orchestra jamming Christmas tunes to the shopping crowd.

I happen to be one of such crowd - and as Barbie and Bernice were looking for gifts to give Bernice's faculty and Barbie's officemates, I listened to the Manila Symphony do some classic tunes from the Nut Cracker Suite. Later they even started playing more traditional and romantic Christmas tunes.

Some friends even asked me in Facebook where and when the Manila Symphony would play next... back then I had no answer - but now I do. They'll be playing on the 18th, at the Fort's Bonifacio High Street.

Photoblog - Day 239 Dec 04, 2010

Polo Club Tree:

As part of my effort to take pictures with a Christmas theme, I try looking for scenes or decors that look inspiring, wonderful or just down right fantastic - though this tree may not fit all those adjectives, I definitely found it awesome to look at (so it was at least inspiring), hence my taking it.

The place - for those of you who may be wondering, is the lobby of the Manila Polo Club. I attended a meeting there with a group that will hopefully spark some inspiration and lead to opportunities to 'give back to the community', while making sure that should certain 'worse case scenarios' happen (and I'm knocking on wood that they don't), we'll be ready to help and serve.

I believe I've hinted more than enough - but I'll keep it limited there for a while... and when it's the 'right time' to announce this endeavor, I shall. Meanwhile, let's just keep enjoying the Christmas holiday's approach and it's myriad decors.

National Geographic Magazine Your Shot

Pictures I hope to add to... sometime soon:

I've always marveled at how those NatGeo pictures were taken. To be sure, these were expert photographers with cameras and equipment that would dwarf my Canon by comparison - and to be sure, these people have been at this creative process much longer than I.

Needless to say, I have secretly harbored a dream to submit a photo to National Geographic and hopefully see it chosen by them. Well guess they heard me - and a multitude of like-minded photo enthusiasts, because with this link that dream is one step closer to reality.

So if you are like me... well, here's your chance. I've registered. It's now a matter of choosing what picture I hope Nat Geo will like. Good luck to me (and you, should you decide to join as well).

National Geographic Magazine Your Shot: "Add National Geographic Your Shot site content onto your Web space."

Photoblog - Day 238 Dec 03, 2010

Batch 78 X-mas Reunion:

Yup, that's me with some of my batch-mates from High School (La Salle Greenhills, Batch '78), as we got together in Kuya's restaurant in The Fort. We normally hold these gatherings every first Thursday of December, and this is the 3rd (or 4th) Christmas reunion I've attended with them.

I arrived a bit late, though... so I may not have seen my other batch-mates that may have come earlier - but left before I arrived... and assuming I was last to arrive ( I dropped by around 10:30pm, having come from a Toastmasters Meeting), that would mean this particular reunion night had 30 attendees (yes, I was number 30).

Considering that a lot of our numbers were busy - and others may have found the traffic a downer when considering whether they would attend or not, 30 isn't a bad number - still, the more the merrier comes to mind... oh well, the night was not a downer. Henry showed us pictures of old La Salle and even some of St. John the Baptist's stuff from a museum. Plus, I did get to see one 'friend' that I have not seen in a while - Jomini Venago... a guy who shared the same passion for comics as I.

So considering that I probably stayed for about an hour and a half, it wasn't a bad night - in fact I was glad we ended early... that is, if you can consider near midnight as early. Yes, this picture was taken before we called it a night, so it was technically a Friday already.

Photoblog - Day 237 Dec 02, 2010

Toastmasters:

I have not been actively pursuing my Toastmasters connections and trainings for about... oh, three or four years now. I just find myself too tired, coming from work - and if the idea is to practice public speaking or feedback-giving in the club meetings, well... I do that almost every week in my work anyway. So you could say there seems to be some redundancies between my work and the Toastmasters.

This does not mean that I will not attend meetings when invited by other clubs - specially from colleagues whom I've rubbed elbows with when I was still active... and one such colleague is Jeck Maog - who, out of the blue, invited me to be their General Evaluator for this evening's meeting. I warned Jeck that it has been a while since I attended such meetings, but to her... once a TM, always a TM - plus she favored me with the reminder that I was an evaluator champion back then, so... well, how does one turn an invite down after hearing that?

The evening was nostalgic for me... reprising a role I've done many occasions - though not recently. I marveled at the Mangers for Christ TMC's new blood (mostly La Salle graduates - so maybe I shouldn't be too surprised, he he he), and how well they delivered their speech projects - and I was glad to give feedback to a lot of my colleagues in my capacity as G.E.

I sincerely hope I helped with my insights, and though I don't relish the idea of being invited by others soon enough (like I said, I can get tired after work), I can't deny the fact that TM meetings are fun and energizing... plus if you get to help others improve... well, isn't that good karma for you?

Photoblog - Day 236 Dec 01, 2010

Countdown to Christmas:

It's December! Finally! And what does this mean? Among other things, to many of us Filipinos, it means that Christmas is just 24 days away. To others, it means a reality check to see if they are ready for the yuletide celebration... in whatever manner they see fit to celebrate it. It could be a reminder to double-check their Christmas gift-giving list... to see if everyone's accounted for; and see if they already have do their Christmas shopping.

For others (and I fall under this category), the need to plan in advance for the Noche Buena meal, by getting the necessary ingredients lest we run out of it - due to an increase in demand for such items (e.g. the cream and condensed milk to be used for fruit salads).

For some, it's to find the 'Christmas songs' library from their iPod or hard drives - and start playing them without any guilt trip of looking silly for playing the songs too early. Naturally, there is also setting up of the homes, offices and malls with decors - to join the celebration of Christmas.

This picture is such a situation - decors hanging on the ceiling of the training room - not too many to distract... just enough to remind everyone (as if we need reminding) of the season. I took two pictures of this trio of over-sized pine cones, just to see which picture would come out better. The one without the use of flash looked more natural - but the one where the camera flash was used presents a more lively and colorful picture. can you guess which picture I decided to use in this photoblog?

Photoblog - Day 235 Nov 30, 2010

Morning Rush Observer:

This is what I ended up doing... since I did not have any trainings to conduct today, I was able to bring Barbie to her annual medical check-up appointment - then looked for a place to hang around in the Ortigas area. I remembered the Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf in the vicinity, so ended up parking nearby... grabbing my camera and backpack (with a few reading materials), ordered breakfast and enjoyed the morning in a relaxed manner.

One of the things I readily observed was how people were in a rush... moving here and there - going past the coffee shop, on their way to (or... in the case of some call center employees - coming from ) work. I even had a team of call center agents and presumably their team lead (or manager) meet, just one table away. I did not eavesdrop in their meeting - focusing instead, on reading my new issue of Time magazine. But, boy... did it feel good to be apart form this rush crowd situation... even if it was just for a day.

Did they wondered who I was and why I was not part of their situation? I mean, I was just in t-shirt, shorts and rubber-shoes, so I was obviously not in work attire... but did they indeed even notice? Maybe... then again, maybe they were too caught up in their everyday work concerns.

If such were the case, I couldn't blame them... I would, after all, find myself joining them in this morning rush come tomorrow. But until then... I found it quite relaxing to just observe things... to be a silent witness, without having to be
a participant of the rush hour - even for just a day.